"Website and method for search engine optimization by prompting, recording and displaying feedback of a web site user" was awarded on April 3, 2012 to Worldwide Creative Techniques, Inc. Here is the abstract:

The invention provides a web site with content designed to elicit responses from users that contain keyword dense content for a chosen word or words. Users submit responses to the website and the website displays the responses on a web page. The accumulation of targeted and keyword specific material in natural language as recorded and displayed on the web site attracts search engine spiders and achieve a higher ranking in response to key word searches matching the keyword dense content.

"Operationalizing search engine optimization" was awarded on March 13, 2012 to Brightedge Technologies, Inc. Here is the abstract:

A method for managing reference to an entity on a network includes determining shares of voice for an entity and other entities across a plurality of channels with respect to a plurality of search terms. The method also includes correlating shares of voice for the entity and the other entities with respect the search terms to determine a relative change in share of voice for the entity with respect to the other entities. Thereafter, shares of voice for the entity across the plurality of channels may be correlated to determine relative changes in share of voice for the entity within each of the channels. The relative change in share of voice for the entity with respect to the other entities and the relative changes in share of voice for the entity within each of the channels may then be displayed.

The big question here is should an SEO company be able to process their process and steps they take to perform SEO? Clearly some have but is the SEO process patentable?